


It Was Better This Way

by orphan_account



Category: The Umbrella Academy (Comics)
Genre: Character Study, Gen, Not Beta Read, Oneshot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-17
Updated: 2019-04-17
Packaged: 2020-01-15 15:25:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,632
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18501745
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: The reasons why Diego picked up a knife and didn't let go.(Few elements taken from the Netflix original adaptation however it is mostly takes place in comic 'verse)





	It Was Better This Way

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [My Way Home Is Through You](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17317943) by [dearcantaloupe](https://archiveofourown.org/users/dearcantaloupe/pseuds/dearcantaloupe). 



> I personally feel like that the characters are out of character and I'm not really satisfied with the ending, however it is my first time in writing a fanfiction and should be expected.

The palms of his hands are calloused and littered with scars. Some are faded with time and raised while others are a stark white color against his skin that serves as a reminder of what made him the person that he is today, of his commitments and his efforts to please his father.

As he grew older his reasons to wield a knife had changed. At first, it was because Number Two wanted to prove himself to his father, that he was special and could be useful like Number One and the others. So, he pockets the knife from the table at breakfast when he is sure that none of his siblings is looking, he wasn’t afraid of the risk that his father might see him taking the piece of cutlery since father was always too busy with finishing his plate as he listened to the record that played in the mornings and Number Two wouldn’t be caught so long as he didn’t make too much noise to catch father’s indignation for disturbing his morning meal.

When father catches Two that night as he finishes bandaging his fingers from the cuts he had obtained while trying to toss the heart-shaped cheese knife that he had swapped for when he realized that the table knife wasn’t sharp enough to penetrate the crudely made target board and stick.

Breath hitched, unmoving as his father stares him down with a look of disapproval for having exceeded the mandatory bedtime that had been imposed ever since he could remember. Father tilts his head as he catches sight of the target board and the knife embedded in the innermost circle, surrounded by indents from the previous throws. None of them are close to the bullseye. ( _yet_ )

Father returns his gaze back at him with a glint of something that he has never seen before on his face. Number Two shrinks back and prepares himself for his punishme-

“Number Two. You should have been in bed, eight minutes ago.” With one last glance, father leaves the room and closes the door. Two forces himself to inhale as he stares after the door and turns to the target board made from a single panel of discarded cardboard with colored in circles and exhales.

 

Later when he arrives back to his room after a training session there is a box filled with throwing knives and a real target board hanging on the wall. His cheeks _hurts_.

 

\---------------------

 

When Diego finds out that his father had locked Klaus in a mausoleum, to make Klaus overcome his fear of the dead. He couldn’t help but think that could have been him. Locked in a room filled to the brim with water, or worse being sealed inside a fish tank that fit him inside just enough but not so that he could move his legs or arms and that he could only thrash in place as he tried not to scream out for help in fear of the water rushing into his nose and mouth and going down to fill his lungs as his mind tells him _to get to the surface_ , because if he didn’t he was going to _drown._

( ~~Diego knows that his fear of drowning is irrational. Especially for him because he doesn’t need to breathe, while Klaus or Vanya does. It is essential for them to inhale and exhale, without that they would die. It’s just that~~ he got used to breathing)

Diego throws himself into honing his knife throwing skills with renewed vigour and continuing regardless of the injuries he sustains for overexertion, in hopes that father wouldn’t take a renewed interest in his power but in his proficiency at knife throwing.

( ~~He notices. That’s _all_~~ )

( ~~Diego doesn’t take notice when Klaus begins to turn to narcotics and alcohol. Beginning his downward spiral into addiction. When Vanya begins to seek solace from _Ben_. ~~He became distant to his siblings)

 

\---------------------

 

After losing his right eye from a patrol gone wrong, Diego had gotten into a slump.

It was a testament that Diego wasn’t good enough to be in the team anymore and it stirred up a long-forgotten feeling of helplessness that he hadn’t felt since he had picked up the knives, that he was given from fath- Monocle.

Losing his eye had thrown his aim off, making what he could mindlessly throw with ease a difficult task that required concentration and effort. An effort which he had started giving half-heartedly in training, missions and even with the small challenges on who could do something quicker and better with Luther.

He just didn’t see the point of doing it anymore because why try to do an attempt when it didn’t even have the same result as it did before.

 

Even though it was Luther who helped him get out of the slump. Which didn’t really seem like a surprise when Diego looked back at that moment.

Luther pulled him along on every patrol he could without the Monocle’s interference, what was probably a gentle grip to Luther was a tight one on Diego’s right wrist, dragging him around and telling him to take the guy on left whilst lingering silently on his right side, ready to step in when it became too much for Diego to handle.

When Diego had gotten better with his coordination, Luther began to push him forwards whether he wanted to or not, Luther starts to place the targets further away in training and wordlessly making him take the initiative on patrols and on the rare occasion, missions.

( ~~Years from now Diego wonders where this Luther went and questions deep down if he should have done more for Luther to have prevented him to become the way he is now.~~ Diego doesn’t know where he could have been if it wasn’t for Luther’s help)

Diego likes to think that his rekindled friendship with Vanya had also played a major role in helping him gain his confidence back, with her silent encouragement as she watches him practice with his knives and when he managed to hit bullseye, Diego turns around to see if Vanya had seen him do it and catches her eyes with his as she smiles at him.

His stomach churns uncomfortably as he keeps his eye on her face.

 

\---------------------

 

When Vanya asks him if he would like to start a band with her, Diego doesn’t even hesitate to give her his answer.

It didn’t matter to Diego, who hadn’t even touched an instrument besides a violin before. However, none of that mattered as he looked at Vanya’s face at band practice. Face lit up with a bright smile and the amount of emotion in Vanya’s words and actions that he hadn’t seen on her before. ( ~~Even if his hands ached after tirelessly playing the bass and his shoulders and back become too sore to stand up straight.~~ Diego learns _each_ of their songs by heart)

And with Body admitting that they had _potential to make it_ Diego felt like he had the best of both worlds at that very moment.

 

“I’ll ditch out on patrol and meet you at the club we _do_ the show, _grab_ the cash, pack the gear in _Body’s van_ , hit the gas – and _never_ come home.” Diego let his hands fall from his face when he felt that his mask had been secured on and settled his gaze on Vanya’s as to show to her that he was serious.

Because honestly, Vanya didn’t belong with them in the umbrella academy. No powers to be used against the bad guys, no skills that were deemed useful in a fight. ( ~~And to be honest, Diego didn’t either. It’s been a very long time since he used his power, having to rely on his knives and wit in combat compared to his siblings. In truth he was only a couple of steps above Vanya with his knives~~ )

“You with me?” He brought forward his right hand for a fist bump as the smoke from Vanya’s cigarette wafted in front of her face, obscuring most of her mouth but that did not stop him from noticing the left corner of her mouth twitching upwards.

Vanya bumped her bandaged hand against his, not even wincing in pain and grinned as she stepped toward him. “You got yourself an _axelady_ , hot-head.”

 

\---------------------

 

Diego caught sight of Allison’s ligature marks on her neck as she calmly talked to one of the victims, a girl that reminded him of Vanya with bruises on her face and a bandaged hand before drifting towards the reports to answers their questions.

As Diego looked at Luther’s direction he could see that Luther had his back in front of Ben, who gently coaxed the monsters back into himself despite the numerous lacerations on his back and Klaus who laid against the wall with his head heavily bandaged from the gash he had suffered from the mime gang ringleader and could have ended up in a worse state if Diego hadn’t arrived in time to intercept the next blow with one of his knives and headbutted the ringleader on the nose, Diego had heard the nose crunch and had quickly grabbed the ringleader by the head and slammed it against floor with a loud thud. Knocking him out.

“Should you be at a gig, kid?” Muttered Inspector Lupo as he lit his cigarette before he looked at him with a raised brow.

Diego doesn’t answer him.

( ~~Diego wasn’t with Vanya in the end as he promised.~~ It was better this way with him prowling the streets fighting crime and her safe away from danger ~~and he tries not to think about what could have happened if he had ditched patrol while he lays on his bed listening to “I don’t wanna kill the president.”)~~

**Author's Note:**

> The dialogue where they fist bump is taken from the umbrella academy comic "Anywhere But Here"


End file.
